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09 April 2016

Ash & Elm

I recently got to sample Ash & Elm's lunch time weekday semi-buffet lunch. For this, Ash & Elm at the Intercontinental hotel, Bugis has taken the best from their signatures and offers diners the chance to enjoy dishes from the Charcuterie & Cheese Room, Wood-Fired Oven and Charcoal Grill. From these stations you can enjoy as much as you like (as you can from any good buffet) but the twist is that you can also combine it, if you wish, with a choice of a main course from a variety of daily options.The semi-buffet lunch is perfect for those looking for a great venue for a business lunch as well as those looking for somewhere different to lunch with friends. The dining space is open and airy thanks to the skylight roof but also offers up cosy more private spots for an intimate lunch with friends or for enjoying a business lunch with colleagues or clients.

The salad station

Charcuterie and Cheese Room

As I said, before enjoying your main course you can choose from a variety of appetizers and soups in a typical buffet style set up. We began our meal in the 'Charcuterie & Cheese Room', yes you read that right - a whole room dedicated to charcuterie and cheese! My companion for the meal is a big cheese fan so he was in heaven. There was a good selection of European cheeses, pates, meats and condiments to choose from. We both took an ample range which we then very quickly consumed. To accompany our starters we were given our own bread basket with a variety of breads including sourdough, bread sticks and more. The bread was accompanied by two types of butter one of which contained seaweed. The slightly salty taste to this butter really went well with the breads. In fact in the end I only had the seaweed butter.

Our selection of breads

minestrone soup

seafood chowder

Salad with roast duck

Fun interpretation of a mozzarella and tomato salad

From meat and cheese we moved on to salads and soups. There were a choice of two soups on the day we went, seafood chowder and minestrone. As I'm not a huge fan of seafood I opted for the minestrone soup. This had just a little warming kick to it and was really good. My companion chose the seafood chowder which they said was excellent. After this we had to try some of the self-serve salad too. The options on the day we visited included a Caesar salad and roast duck which you could add to a base of various salad items of your choice, including beetroot (one of my favourites), sweet corn, tomatoes, lettuce etc. Alongside the conventional salads they also had a fun interpretation of the classic mozzarella and tomato salad which you can see in the photo above. It was fun to squeeze the balsamic dressing over it and then eat it straight off the cocktail stick.

After all the starters it was time for our mains. As I said previously Ash & Elm are offering a semi-buffet so you get all the benefits of a buffet plus the option of a main course too. Just make sure you leave enough room for it and then desserts too! There is a different daily selection of main courses, on the day I visited the choices were the chicken (above), Scottish salmon fillet, Parma ham flatbread, penne pasta and Australian Angus beef striploin (which my companion chose). The chicken was delicious, nice and moist and the tomato based sauce complimented it perfectly. I also got radishes with my meal, something of a treat in Singapore! I was pretty full by the time I'd finished though, if I'd realised I was going to get three pieces of chicken I'd have held back a little on the buffet. My companion's beef was also very generously portioned, something to keep in mind if you are dining here.

The fact that the main courses change daily also means you can take the opportunity to dine on other dishes on your next visit rather than having to choose from the same few each time. Therefore you have to return to enjoy some of the other offerings!

Despite the fact that I was quite full by that point, after a short break to let my lunch digest a little, I found some room for a selection of desserts. I have to admit to a sweet tooth so couldn't resist trying a few. The lemon meringue (front of the photo) was particularly nice and zesty but they were all very good. By the way there is also a chocolate fountain for you to dip fresh fruit etc into, how can you resist that at the end of your meal?I had a thoroughly enjoyable lunch and love the flexible nature of Ash & Elm's weekday lunch semi-buffet, if you want to dine light on just the buffet section you can or else you can enjoy a more filling meal. One that, on the day we went, meant I only wanted a very light bite in the evening. It's a relaxed spot for a different lunch concept serving up some great food at a great price. Go check it out soon!The semi-buffet lunch is available on its own as a spread of appetizers, soups and desserts for $38 or with a choice of main course at $48.Level 1, Intercontinental Hotel80 Middle RoadSingapore 188966Semi-buffet lunch (Mondays to Fridays) - 12pm to 2pmWebsite: intercontinental.com/singapore

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